At the end of the second period in a 3-2 Seattle Kraken win over the Anaheim Ducks on Monday, forwards Yanni Gourde and Brandon Tanev stood at center ice and barked at the Ducks’ bench. Tensions had boiled over after winger Tye Kartye laid a heavy-but-clean hit (he did get penalized two minutes for interference, but that was a bogus call) on budding star forward Leo Carlsson.
Carlsson, 19, went flying and slammed into the goalpost, appearing to hit his head on the ice as he fell. I’m not convinced the official even saw the hit, but with Carlsson down on the ice and the home crowd reacting in outrage, a striped arm was lifted in the air. As Carlsson was attended to by Anaheim’s medical staff, a brouhaha occurred, with Ducks captain Radko Gudas going after Kartye and challenging him to fight.
Tye Kartye with a 100% clean hit on Leo Carlsson, but he goes into the post and hits his head on the ice. Good to see him skate off on his own power after that.
— Sound Of Hockey (@sound_hockey) November 26, 2024
Radko Gudas goes after Kartye in a big-time mismatch, and shenanigans ensue.
Teams playing 5-on-5. #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/FSg01rJHVt
“Obviously, it was unfortunate he got hurt,” Kartye said. “And I think that’s kind of what drew the crowd, but obviously, I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I was just trying to finish my check, and it’s just unfortunate that he ran into the post there.”
Kartye did well to keep Gudas in close and not allow him to land any major blows. That incident didn’t seem to satiate the Ducks’ thirst for revenge, though, and in the third period, they came out and took several runs at Kartye while Seattle quickly turned a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead and eventual victory.
“I think when one of your best players goes down, I think any team is going to react like that,” Kartye said. “I fully expected that when he got hurt, and I mean, that’s just kind of how the game goes.”
Coach Dan Bylsma thought the reaction from Anaheim played into Seattle’s favor in the game, with Andre Burakovsky and Brandon Montour scoring at 46 seconds and 1:10 of the third period, respectively, to turn the game.
“I think their mindset changed a little bit, and I think that was a good thing for us. Just use it against…” Bylsma cut himself off before finishing that last sentence. “That’s all I’ll say.”
Emotions could run high Wednesday
In an interesting scheduling twist, the Kraken and Ducks are now set to face each other again on Wednesday night at Climate Pledge Arena, and the Ducks will not have Carlsson in their lineup. Bylsma said he would not be surprised if tensions remain elevated for the rematch.
“I think the game should be played with emotion,” Bylsma said. “I think the sequence at the end of the second period drew us into the game a little bit, and that’s a good thing.”
Seattle maintained composure and skated away from shenanigans in the third on Monday and may be tested to do so again on Wednesday.
“We need to play with [the emotion], I’ll say, play on the edge and respect the edges at the same time, not cross the line and get involved in the extracurricular activities,” Bylsma said. “But playing on that edge is where we need to play.”
On whether he expects carryover Wednesday, Kartye said, “I hope not. We’ve got a game to worry about, but obviously, anything can happen.”
Vince Dunn getting closer
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn is nearing a return from long-term injured reserve. In fact, for a fleeting moment on Wednesday, I wondered if Seattle would be slotting him in against the Ducks. But Ryker Evans continued to man the second power play, and Dunn stayed out late after his teammates left the ice, indicating he will not be playing Wednesday.
Still, being a full participant and rotating in for line rushes is an undeniable sign that—assuming no setbacks—Dunn will be back within the next few games.
Darren Brown
Darren Brown is the Chief Content Officer at soundofhockey.com and the host of the Sound Of Hockey Podcast. He is a member of the PHWA and is also usually SOH’s Twitter intern (but please pretend you don’t know that). Follow him @DarrenFunBrown and @sound_hockey or email darren@soundofhockey.com.
It would be gross for the Ducks to continue going for revenge on a clean hit. Even the Gudas fight was gross. Shit happens on the ice and going after players for clean hits needs to stop.
I’ll be at the game tonight, wearing my Kartye (#52) jersey.
I doubt it will be all that big of a deal tonight. The Ducks players had to react big in front of their crowd. Also, as Darren noted, they paid for their reaction on the ice. You can bet that their coaches are telling them to cut out the extra-curriculars and get their revenge on the scoreboard. That should actually be worrying, because they will be well-motivated.
Alas, another night without Vince Dunn in the line-up. So close, though… so close! Man, I have to be at the game when he comes back. What a night that will be.